Condenser tube cleaner with resilient scraper elements



Aprll 4, 1950 c. M. GRIFFIN CONDENSER TUBE CLEANER WITH RESILIENT SCRAPER ELEMENTS Filed June 21, 1946 INVENTOR CeciZM G JLfZJL ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 4, 1950 UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE CONDENSERTUBE CLEANER WITH BESILIEN T SCRAPER ELEMENTS Cecil M; Griffin, Pittsburgh, Pa. I ApplicationJ-une 21, 1946, Serial No. 678,221

7 Claims. (Cl. 15-40%.06)

This invention relates to a tool for cleaning tubes or a tube cleaner, and more particularly to a tube cleaner of the type employed to remove deposits from. condenser tubes.

In cleaning condenser tubes, and especially those of small diameter, a tube cleaner of a small size must of necessity be employed, and yet it should be a cheap and simple article to manufacture, speedy and. effective in its cleaning action, and, despite its. smallisizarugged' and durable enough in. its construction to withstand the severe abuse it will encounter. upon its being shot through a condenser tube by fluid pressure and at fairly high velocities and then finally stopped abruptly by its sharp impact against an iron condenser or other heat exchanger. head after its emergence from the outlet end of the tube.

In addition, the tube cleaner should possess a sufficiently flexible construction in combination with sufficiently resilient scraper blades to enable the tool to adapt itself to any abnormal irregularities within the tube, as encountered by it in its passage therethrough, and still permit the scraping blades of the tool to effectively clean the inside walls of the tube.

According to. the present invention there is provided a tube cleaner possessing all, the above described desirable properties for use in hydraulic shot cleaning-of condenser units with tubes of relatively small diameter, ranging down to as small as four-tenths of. an inch inside diameter.

However, it is not desired to restrict the, scope or method of use of the specific embodiment of the tube cleaner as shown and described herein, but it is appreciated thatthe. tool may advantageously be manufactured and usedfor cleaning large diameter condenser-tubes; and that when the tool is used with either 'large or small tubes, itmay be manually pushedfthrough the tube by a rod, as well. as being shot therethrough under fluid pressure. p

My invention maybe more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: I

' Fig. -1 is a side elevation of a cleaner embodying my invention. I

Fig; 2 is a view similar to, Fig. 1 but with the cleaner rotated 90?; and

Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive are. perspective views on,

a larger'scal'e "of the several elements of the cleaner.

The cleaner, as illustrated in the drawings, comprises a main body member having a circular head 2 and afiat shank 3.. Carried on this body isa resilient scraper element 4. There is a second body element5 secured. to this scraper and this in turn carries a second resilient scraper element 6,, to which in turnthere is attached another elementv 1. I

The scraper 4. is a generally 'V-shaped member formed of spring, steel or other metal, the scraper having two arms 4a which diverge toward their free ends and the free ends of which are turned outwardly to provide semi-circular scrapers 41), there being a hole 40 in each arm, as shown. The bend connecting the two arms is designated 4d.

The free end of the shank 3' of the first body member is bifurcated, originally being in the form shown in dotted lines, providing a recess 8 into which the bend or base 4d of the scraper 4' is received, after which the bifurcated ends of the body are bent inwardly to form retaining lugs 9. This provides a method of retaining the scraper element flexibly on the body.

The body element 5 is bifurcated at one end like the body 3, providing an opening l0 and lugs I I to hold the scraper element 6 which is exactly similar to scraper 4,. The other end of the body element v5 has a generally V'-shaped notch therein providing two forwardly extending arms l3, terminating in the lugs N that engage in open ings 4c of the scraper 4. The member 5 is thus flexibily connected in this manner with the body 3 and is in a plane .at right angles to body 3', so that its scraper elements are rotated with re spect to the axis of the assembly 90 from the scrapers 41) on the scraper element 4, and the scraper 4 is'confined by the arms l3 so that the scraper blades can exert the necessary pressure butth-e arms 4a cannot spread apart too far.

The part 1 is shaped like the forward end of part 5, it being provided with a V-shaped notch between diverging arms 15 terminating in the lugs 16 to engage the openings 60 in the arms 6a of the scraper 6 and thus confine these arms from opening, out too far.

Thus the cleaner is an articulated structure having at least two of the two-bladed scrapers, with the blades of one being angularly rotated 90 from the other. Simple punch press operations may be used for shaping the parts. It may be cheaply constructed, has the necessary resilience but the scrapers are restrained from opening out too far; it may be made in small diameters and still have the desired qualities of flexibility, and the lugs 9 spaced from the opposite faces of the body 5, and the lugs I4 between which the body 3 extends, limit the relative flexing movement of the parts.

It is understood that the scope of the present invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiment shown and described herein, except as limited by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A tube cleaner comprising a flat body member having a transverse slot adjacent one end thereof and a substantially V-shaped scraper element constituted of a continuous length of thin, fiat metal stock having the base of the V received in said slot whereby the element is restrained from turning transversely on an axis normal to the plane of the fiat body by the coacting surfaces of the fiat stock and the boundaries of the slot and also restrained against longitudinal movement, while the element as a whole may rock to a limited extent in a direction normal to the plane of the fiat body upon pressure being applied to one arm or the other and having the arms thereof extending longitudinally along the body in spaced relation thereto, the free ends of the scraper arms being turned outwardly to form blades which are spaced from the body.

2. In a tube cleaner, a fiat body element having a bifurcated end portion with inwardly turned spaced lugs and providing a transverse slot, a substantially V-shaped scraper element confined in the slot and retained therein by the inwardly turned lugs the scraper element being constituted of a continuous length of thin, fiat metal stock, the scraper element having arms which extend forwardly along the body and diverge from the flat sides of the body, the free ends of said arms being turned outwardly to provide scraper blades, the crotch of the V being in said slot whereby the scraper element may rock relative to the body in a plane normal to the sides of the flat body element while being restrained by the boundaries of the slot from turning on an axis which is normal to the face of said fiat body.

3. In a tube cleaner, a flat body element having a bifurcated end portion with inwardly turned spaced lugs and providing a transverse slot, a substantially V-shaped scraper element confined in the slot and retained therein by the inwardly turned lugs, the scraper element having arms which extend forwardly along the body and diverge from the fiat sides of the body, the free ends of said arms being turned outwardly to provide scraper blades, said arms each having an opening therein near the free end thereof, a second body element having an end portion similar to the first one with a similar scraper thereon, the opposite end of said secondbody member being bifurcated to provide ,legs which embrace the first scraper element, sa-id legs being provided with lugs that are entered in the openings in the arms of the first scraper element.

4. A tube cleaner comprising-a .fiat. body member having a bifurcated end portion with inwardly turned lugs "providing a transverse slot in said body, a substantially V-shaped scraper element having the base thereof engaged in said slotand having arms which extend. along the sides of the body, the free "ends "of the arms be'-' ing turned outwardly to provide scraper blades, each arm having an opening therein adjacent its free end, a second fiat body member at right angles to the first having a bifurcated end portion with inwardly turned lugs at one end thereof, which end portion embraces the said scraper element and the lugs of which are entered in the openings in the arms of said scraper element, the other end of said second body member being constructed similarly to said end of the first body member and having a similar scraper element thereon.

5. A tube cleaner comprising a fiat body member having a bifurcated end portion with inwardly turned lugs providing a transverse slot in said body, a substantially V-shaped scraper element having the base thereof engaged in said slot and having arms which extend along the sides of the body, the free ends of the arms being turned outwardly to provide scraper blades, each arm having an opening therein adjacent its free end, a second fiat body member at right angles to the first having a bifurcated end portion with inwardly turned l ugs at one end thereof, which end portion embraces the said scraper element and the lugs of which are entered in the openings in the arms of said scraper element, the other end of said second body member being constructed similarly to said end of the first body member and having a similar scraper element thereon, and a bifurcated body having arms which embrace the second scraper and having lugs which enter the holes in the arms of the second scraper, which last named body limits the spreading of the arms of the second scraper.

6. A tube cleaner comprising a fiat body member having a bifurcated end portion with inwardly turned lugs providing a transverse slot in said body, a substantially V-shaped scraper element having the base thereof engaged in said slot and having arms which extend along the sides of the body, the free ends of the arms being turned outwardly to provide scraper blades, each arm having an opening therein adjacent its free end, a second fiat body member at right angles to the first having a bifurcated end portion with inwardly turned lugs at one end there of, which end portion embraces the said scraper element and the lugs of which are entered in the openings in the arms of said scraper element, the other end of said second body member being constructed similarly to said end of the first body member and having a similar scraper element thereon, the second body element being telescoped between the lugs of the first body element, and the first body element being received between the said lugs on the arms of the second body element whereby relative pivoting movement of said body members is restricted.

7. A condenser tube cleaner comprising a fiat body member having a disk-shaped head at one end and having its other end bifurcated and with inwardly turned lugs at said-other .end, a twoarmed scraper entered in theibifurcated portion of said body member and having arms which extend along the body member-with outwardly turned blade portions at the-free ends thereof, each arm having a hole-therein near, its outer end, a second flat member in a plane perpendicular to the first and having forwardly extending arms at one end thereof with inwardly turned lugs at the ends thereof, said. arms embracing the scraper 0n the first body member and having the lugs thereof pass through the holes in thearnfs of's'aid scraper; the other end of the REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Salomons July 20, 1869 Simpson Feb. 22, 1887 Hart Oct. 2'7, 1903 Drummond Apr. 5, 1921 Ducasse July 15, 1924 MacLear May 1'7, 1932 Lincoln Apr. 27, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Number Great Britain 1905 

